What's Next?
by cr8zymommy
Summary: Part 3 in my M/R series, after Christmas Vacation! Title and Summary will most likely change after I get a few chapters up :/ SLASH **ON HIATUS**
1. Chapter 1

**That's right. The M/R Sequel won the poll contest. It was a close call between this and IWNB sequel. Wow. I mean, CLOSE. As in, one vote off, and that went back and forth day to day, sometimes multiple times a day. So, wow. Awesome. But in the end, this one won out. I hope you guys enjoy!**

**This story starts about six months after the end of Undercover, so about three months after Christmas Vacation. Now, rereading it, if my timeline is correct, this would put them around the time that Seaver's joining the team and before Emily's 'death'. I may be wrong in my calculations, but that's about where I see it, so that's where I'm writing this. Enjoy!**

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Looking out to the living room, Morgan gave his head a shake before moving back into the kitchen. "I have no idea how the two of them manage to play that. It confuses the hell out of me." He said to Garcia. The bubbly technical analyst, and one of his absolute best friends, turned from where she was chopping vegetables for their stir-fry and she grinned at him. "That's why they're in there playing and not you, honey bun." She answered perkily. The two were referring to the pair in the living room and the game they were currently playing.

As Spencer had mentioned to Garcia while he and Morgan had been undercover, the young genius really had missed his game time with Emily Prentiss. Once things with Michael were done, once the holidays had passed, Spencer had shyly approached Emily one afternoon and asked her if she wanted to stop by after work and play a game or something, maybe join them for dinner afterwards. The megawatt smile she'd beamed at him had made him grin back. Since then, the two got together every Thursday night if possible and had 'game time'. The game this week was 3D chess, something that Morgan was both baffled and amused by.

Stepping up to his friend, Morgan slipped an arm around her waist, loudly kissing her cheek and making her laugh. "I'd much rather be in here cooking with you, baby girl."

"Liar." She said it with a grin and a chuckle that had him grinning in return. "But a girl will take what she can get. Now get to work on that chicken over there."

"You do realize this is _my_ kitchen you're bossing _me_ around in, don't you?"

Garcia turned and raised an eyebrow at him. "And?"

Laughter bubbled up from Morgan and he gave her a final squeeze before moving over to follow her orders. While he started to get to work on cutting the chicken up for her, he said "I'm glad we had the time off to do this. It's not just good for Prentiss and Spence to get together like this. Does me good to get some visiting in with my favorite girl, too."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, handsome." Garcia said teasingly first. Then she gave him one of her warm smiles. "It does all of us good. We all need that little break from work."

Snorting, Morgan tossed another piece of cut chicken into the open wok. "Aint that the truth? Feels like we've been going almost nonstop since we got back from Christmas."

Done with the vegetables, Garcia moved over to start the chicken as Morgan finished cutting it. She took advantage of being closer to lower her voice and ask something that had been on her mind. "Speaking of that, how're the two of you doing, being back at work after everything? I mean, it's been a crazy six months since the end of, well, the end of that case. At work you guys seem okay, but how are you both holding up, really?"

Because they were alone in here and because it was Garcia, the idea of not answering didn't even occur to Morgan. He thought about his answer for a few minutes as he cut up more of the chicken. After a bit, he finally started to answer her. "I think we're doing okay. Being at work does us both good, really. We like what we do. And I think it's actually helped us both find our footing a little bit more. We're starting to feel like life's getting back on track, you know? I just have to remind myself sometimes to keep it professional and not be _too _overprotective and he has to do the same thing." Morgan tossed a few more pieces of chicken into the wok and sighed. "It got a little awkward when Seaver joined the team. I have a bit of a hard time trusting her to not only have mine or anyone else's back, but to have his. And you know how he is about new people. She's nice to him and all, but she makes him nervous and he worries that she'll hear something about him or see him react to something and make some kind of judgment on him."

"React to something?"

Leave it to Garcia to latch onto that little statement out of everything he'd said. Morgan took a second to listen and make sure that he could still hear the low murmur of the voices from the living room, telling him that Spencer was still in there. Then he sighed a little. "There are still times he gets a little jumpy or a little off about some things we see or hear." That brought a small grimace to Morgan's face. He hated seeing the leftover emotional scars on his pretty boy. "He is getting better. It's just, it's only been six months. The kind of internal scars Michael left, they aren't just going to disappear in six months. Some days are better than others. Sometimes we go for a couple weeks without any trouble. Then a nightmare hits, or something triggers a flashback, or someone says something that plays on that old fear. On those insecurities that Michael put in him that make him think he's useless or worthless. That kind of healing is going to take a while to come about."

Spencer _was_ healing, little by little, just as he said. Day by day he was getting better. More comfortable and more like his old self. Sure, there were still things that showed, as he'd said to Garcia. Times that Spencer woke up screaming and shaking, that terror vibrating through his whole body. At those times, Morgan did the only thing he could. He'd wrap Spencer in his arms and hold him as the tremors shook him, as he tried to regain control. Sometimes the young genius cried and sometimes he simply lay there, silent and shaking. There were times still that Morgan moved too fast on the edge of Spencer's vision, or startled him from behind, and he'd see his lover jump or see the fear leap onto his face for that instant it took him to realize that it was only Morgan. And there were times that Spencer looked at the victims they dealt with, or at the survivors, and he would get this look on his face that told Morgan that night would be one for nightmares.

But these moments were coming less and less. They still happened far too frequently for Morgan's liking, but he'd think that no matter what. Once was too much for his liking. He didn't ever want to see his pretty boy hurting ever again. Still, step by step, they were working together to heal from everything. At the same time, their own bond was growing deeper and deeper.

Garcia's sigh grabbed Morgan's attention once more. However, when he looked up, she was smiling sweetly at him. "At least he's got you there to help him along. And I can honestly say I've never seen you smile so much, Derek. You look happier than ever."

"He makes me happier than ever." Done with the chicken, Morgan made his way to the sink, taking the cutting board with him so that he could wash it, his knife and his hands.

It was lucky he'd set the knife down in the sink because the next question from Garcia might have caused him to have an accident otherwise. "So, when are the two of you going to bite the bullet and get engaged, huh?"

"Garcia!"

It wasn't Morgan who gave that surprised exclamation, but Spencer. Looking over, Morgan saw his partner standing with Emily, the two of them on the verge of coming into the kitchen. Emily looked wildly amused by Garcia's words while Spencer had turned a very, very adorable shade of red. In the face of his obvious embarrassment, Garcia just grinned at him. "What, Reid? It's a perfectly acceptable question! I mean, you two are super serious about one another. Anyone can see that. And you're practically married anyways. Plus, it's not like you've got to worry about Strauss coming in and mucking things up. You already took care of that one early on. So why shouldn't you two pull out the rings and make it official?"

"Strauss may know, but that doesn't mean that we want to shove it in her face." Morgan stepped in, knowing that Spencer was far too flustered to answer. "And there's no telling what anyone above her knows or if it would be a problem with them. That's why we try to keep this on the down low right now, you get it?"

Still red in the face, Spencer made his way over to the bottle of wine that was breathing on the counter, pouring a glass for himself and one for Emily. As he did, he was grumbling slightly to himself. Though Morgan didn't hear him clearly, he caught the gist of it from words like "interfering" and "no sense of privacy". Pretty boy knew better than to complain loud enough for Garcia to hear him. One, he wouldn't want to get on her bad side. Two, he wouldn't want to end up hurting her feelings. Spencer was the type of guy to think of things like that.

The two men were saved having to answer anything more by the sound of not only the house phone, but Emily's phone and Garcia's phone going off. Even as Spencer hurried and answered the phone, he saw Garcia and Emily checking their texts and he knew what he was going to hear. Morgan knew too. He finished washing his hands as he heard Spencer say "Hello? Yes, Sir. Yes. We'll be there shortly. Okay, thank you."

"So much for dinner." Emily grumbled good-naturedly.

Spencer moved back into the kitchen, looking to Morgan. "You get Clooney to the neighbors, I'll dispose of dinner and we'll go. Hotch said we can just meet at the jet and he'll brief us there."

"Yee haw." Morgan said sarcastically. As he passed Spencer, he couldn't help but reach out and pull the man in for a quick kiss. All of their plans for the night, including the ones they'd had for after the girls left, looked like they were just going to have to wait. Morgan couldn't help but be disappointed by that. But, that was part of their life. And the two men could honestly admit that they wouldn't change it. _Still_ Morgan thought as he went to grab Clooney's leash. _It'd be nice to at least get a tiny bit of a break now and again, just to enjoy an evening together. I had plans for that boy._

As he hooked the leash onto Clooney and set out the front door, grabbing the bag of dog food along the way, he couldn't help the grin that formed on his lips. _There's always the hotel._ That thought kept him grinning all the way over to the neighbor's house.

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**Okay, I know this was short, but that's because I'm having a problem. I had about three different options outlined for myself to do with the next M/R story (this story) and each of them starts out basic, but then turns into something else. I'm just…having a hard time picking which one. Each one I have a half an outline built, so it won't be hard to take it up. What I guess I need is you guys to tell me how you would like to see this go. A fluff story with no real angst? A semi-angst story? Lots of angst? Bad stuff happening to Morgan, to Reid, to someone? Drama, horror, suspense, supernatural, hurt/comfort, angst, fluff? Let me know what kinds of things you'd like to see happen in this story! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

***nervous* Here you go O.o**

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By the time the team got back from this case, all of them were definitely ready for some rest. The plans Morgan had wanted to implement at the hotel never managed to come through. This case had involved missing women and another one had been abducted while they were flying out, so they'd hit the ground running and it felt as if they'd been running for the past three days. Thankfully, that was all it had taken to catch the man. This was definitely a 'win' in their books. They'd not only caught him, but managed to save the victim that had gone missing as well. She was hurt and was going to take time to heal, physically and mentally, but she was alive. That was what was important. She was alive.

It took everything Spencer had not to yawn as he and the team stepped out of the elevator and back into the BAU. Someone walked up, catching Aaron and Dave before they could enter the bullpen. Spencer just kept moving, wanting to get his paperwork dropped off fill out what he needed to do so that he could go home. At the moment, he was even willing to do some of Morgan's paperwork too just so they could both get home together. Climbing in bed with his partner sounded like a heavenly end to this day.

He never made it to his desk. Almost as soon as he was in the bullpen, Garcia came toward him. "Reid!" she called out, drawing his attention. He stopped and looked to her as she got close. "Reid, there's someone here to see you." Hand on his arm, she gave him a look that was half worried, half confused. "They're, um…they're waiting up in the conference room for you. The woman, she said to tell you her name is Liv."

Spencer took a moment to simply blink at her. "What?" Who would be visiting him here? Who did he know that was named Liv? A memory teased at the edges of his mind, not quite fully forming yet. Turning, he looked up to the conference room and found a woman standing there, staring through the window back at him, and with that look he knew who it was. However, even with his memory, the image he had of her was hazy. But it was there. Images danced in his mind like flickers from a movie, with random gaps in between them. It had been years and years ago, toward the beginning of his career at the BAU, when he'd made a trip to New Orleans. He remembered meeting her at the party Robbie and Ethan had dragged him to. Talking and laughing and drinking. Finding a private place, out of the way. More drinking. Then, where things got just a bit hazy for him—skin on skin, clothes on the floor, her hair falling around them. And then, the clearest memory of all—her rising from the bed, opening the door and taking money from Robbie and telling him "There. If that doesn't make the freak straight, I don't know what will."

All of that ran through Spencer's mind in the blink of an eye. With it came that old feeling of hurt that had never quite gone away. To think that Robbie had deliberately gotten him drunk and then paid a woman to sleep with him in an effort to 'cure' him. He'd told Ethan and Robbie that he was gay because the two were his oldest friends, not because he wanted help. Ethan had been furious when he'd found out what Robbie had done. What the hell was Liv doing here now? After all these years, what possessed her to come and hunt him down?

A hand touched Spencer's shoulder, startling him, drawing his attention back to the present and out of his memories. "Pretty boy, you okay?" Morgan murmured beside him. "You look like you've seen a ghost." His touch was discreet for the workplace, yet it held a world of comfort for Spencer.

"I'm fine." Spencer answered in an offhand sort of way. He didn't think about it as he stepped away from the two hands on him and toward the conference room. His mind was spinning, wondering what on earth she was doing here. What would possess her to come and find him this way? They'd never spoken after that night and he'd happily never seen her again. Why was she here, now? At his _work_? He barely paid any attention to the room around him as he made his way up there. He didn't notice that Emily and Ashley had come to stand with Garcia and Morgan now, or that Aaron and Dave were walking up to the rest of the team and watching him as well. All his attention focused on that room. He had to take a deep breath right as he reached the door to gather the courage to step inside.

Liv looked the same as she had all those years ago. Still pretty, just…with a slightly harder edge to it. Her tanned skin, a testament to her Native American heritage, lacked some of that luster it'd had when he'd met her. Her brown eyes were harder, with a cynical edge to them. She still had the same straight black hair, hanging straight as a board to her waist. She was slender, but it wasn't as curvy as before. There were harsher angles to it. The pink top and jeans she wore were flattering, yet they made him think of someone who was trying to hold on to a youth that was slowly slipping away. He found himself thinking that the years must not have treated her kindly.

Words slid past Spencer's lips before he even thought about them. "What are you doing here, Liv? Here, at my work, of all places. It's been five years." No hello, no typical greeting, no manners from the usually mannerly genius. He was too stunned to even think right. Why was she here?

"Almost six." Liv replied. She hooked her hands on her hips and raised one eyebrow, looking him over. "You look just as nerdy as ever, _doctor_."

Spencer tried to bite back the irritation that flared up at that. "I see you're just as pleasant as ever." Okay, maybe that wasn't as calm as he'd wanted, but really, this woman had the nerve to come to his work after not seeing one another for almost six years and speaking so insultingly? A year ago, six months ago, he might have tolerated that. But Morgan had changed that. He'd given Spencer some confidence in himself. "I'll ask again. What are you doing here, Liv? As I recall, you didn't even want to be around me then. What could have changed those circumstances?"

"_That_." Lifting one hand, Liv pointed a finger across the room to something Spencer hadn't seen when he first came in. Over near the doorway, mostly hidden by the open door, a young child sat on the floor, wrapped in a ratty looking pink coat with the hood up and what looked like a cassette player in her hands, the cord running up toward her hood and disappearing inside.

Shock had Spencer frozen. He stood there, staring at the little form on the floor. No. There, there was no way Liv was trying to say what he thought she was saying. No, this had to be one of those instances where he wasn't reading the moment right. He was known for not reading social cues and things like that well. Maybe he was just misreading her.

The finger that had been pointing at the child now poked in the center of his chest, startling him and making his gaze whip back over to her. "That's right, Mr. FBI agent. You left me with a little _present_ when you walked away. And now, now you're going to take her off my hands. I would've put the little brat in the system but Ma fought me tooth and nail and made me keep her. But Ma's dead and I'm getting married now and I don't need that extra baggage coming with me. And now, now she's your problem."

Half of Spencer was reeling in absolute shock. The other half of him heard her call the child a 'little brat' and 'extra baggage' and was seething. How dare she talk about a _child_ that way and right in front of her! Looking back and forth between the two, Spencer asked the first thing that came to mind. "How do you know she's mine?"

"Because you're the only one it could be. The only other person I slept with in the timeframe was black and trust me, she aint part black. Are you trying to imply I slept around so much I don't know my own baby's daddy? I'm not some whore, you know!"

"You slept with me for cash, Liv."

That was the wrong thing to say. Before he had time to think, she brought her hand up and slapped him right across the face.

He wiggled his jaw, trying to ease the sting on his cheek. The force of the slap had turned his head just enough that he caught a glimpse of his whole team gaping at them, some of them moving as if they would come toward the room. Morgan looked absolutely livid. To stave them off, Spencer held one hand up to the window in a definite sign to stay back. Then he turned to look at the woman in front of him. "I'll give you that one. But I recommend you think twice before striking a federal agent directly inside of the FBI, Liv. I won't tolerate it a second time." Was that his voice? It was so hard, so flat, he almost didn't recognize it. A calming breath helped to mellow him out inside so that, when he spoke again, his voice held more of its normal edge to it. "So let me get this straight. You're telling me that, after one drunken encounter, you became pregnant. Then, you kept said child because your mother forced you to and you proceeded to raise said child for almost six years without even having the courtesy to inform me I had a child. Now, you want to get married and for some reason that means that you're not only informing me that I have a child, but you're dumping her here like she's nothing more to you than baggage? Did I get this all correctly?"

"Like hell I was gonna tell you before. Ma wanted her around and I sure as shit didn't want to deal with you or with trying to find you. But Ricky, he doesn't want kids and neither do I and Ma's gone, so I figured it's the perfect chance to get rid of her. Either you take her, or I put her up for adoption. Take your pick."

_Holy shit. Just…shit. _Spencer was speechless. He couldn't seem to process this. Was this for real or was he hallucinating this entire thing? A dream, maybe. This had to be some kind of dream.

Liv waited out his silence for a moment before making a decision. "Gabriella, get over here." She snapped out.

The little girl rose from the floor, her body curled in on itself, mostly hidden underneath her coat. Spencer couldn't stop himself from staring, almost drinking in the sight of her. Skin that was paler than her mother's natural tan, but slightly darker than Spencer's natural paleness. Wide brown eyes that were like looking in a mirror of his own. Brown hair, pulled back into a ponytail at the back of her head, looking slightly curly, hanging down to the small of her back. And tiny; for five, almost six, she looked so tiny. He watched the way she walked, so nervous, and how she tried to get to her mother without actually coming close. That right there told him plenty. But he held his tongue for the moment, not wanting to do anything to startle the child—at least, that was his intention. Then he saw Gabriella's hand start to move, her fingertips coming together as if she were pinching something, and Liv furiously hissed out "Knock that off!" and grabbed for her wrist. That put all his intentions right out the window.

Spencer didn't even think before his hand darted out and he grabbed the woman's wrist, stopping her before she reached Gabriella. "I suggest you rethink that, Liv."

"Fine." Liv snapped. She yanked her hand back, glaring at him. "_You_ deal with it then. She's your freak now. The hell if I want to deal with a retard."

In that instant, Spencer swore his vision hazed over. Temper he rarely ever felt seemed to fill him to the brim. "I think it's time for you to go." He found himself saying.

"I'm not taking her with me. I told you, she's your problem now. You get the papers together for me to sign tomorrow so I can be done with this shit."

"I wouldn't send a bug home in your care." Spencer snapped before he could control himself. A deep breath brought his temper back under control. _Not in front of the girl. You know what it feels like to have adults fight over you. Don't you dare do that to her._ Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his business card and handed it to the woman. "Contact me tomorrow. We'll discuss things then." And without another thought to her, Spencer turned his attention down to Gabriella. It made him grit his teeth to see that Liv didn't even say goodbye to her daughter before she turned and left the room.

Gabriella stood perfectly still, as if the fighting were something totally normal for her. Spencer squatted down in front of the young girl, wincing only a little at the pull on his knee and the ache in that joint that came from a little overuse on this last case. This was more important than a slight ache. When he was down at eye level, he looked toward Gabriella's face, forcing himself to look at her eyes first before his gaze darted off to look at the rest of her face. His mind couldn't help but notice exactly how much she looked like him. _She's like a miniature me in female form_ he thought.

Nerves had him biting at his bottom lip for a moment. Still, his voice was calm and quiet as he said "Hello, Gabriella. Do you know who I am?"

"You're my Daddy." The little girl spoke in a clear, musical voice. "Ma told me she was bringing me to you so you could clean up your own problem and she wouldn't have to deal with me and my acting like a freak anymore."

That had Spencer wincing. "You are not a problem and you most definitely are not a freak." He said quickly.

Gabriella didn't seem fazed by what he said. It was as if the names were normal to her. It broke his heart to think that, from what he'd witnessed, they probably were. "Are you really my Daddy? If you are, can I call you Daddy? All of the other kids that live around Ma and I have Daddies and I've always wanted one."

"Well, Gabriella, you and I are going to go visit a doctor who is going to do a test for us to figure out if I really am or not. From there, we'll decide what to do. But the test may take a bit and your Mom is going to stay at her hotel tonight, so I thought that maybe you'd like to come and stay with me. Would that be okay with you?"

She looked like she thought about it for a moment before she told him. "It would be."

The sophisticated language made him actually smile. Yes, she was definitely a miniature, female version of him. "It will be for me as well." He told her, letting his smile grow. "I need to inform my boss that I'm leaving, first, and introduce you to my friends out there. Then we'll prepare to head home." And what he was going to do once they got there, he had no idea. What did he know about caring for a child? The most he'd ever done was help Garcia babysit Henry or play with his Godson when visiting JJ's house! He'd never cared for a child on his own, full time. Yet, did he really have a choice? And what about Morgan? How was he going to react to this?

He pushed down his worries and made sure his expression was calm. Then, bracing his hands on his knees, he rose to his feet, wincing when his knee gave a loud pop. He felt a small hand settle into his and looked down at his side with surprise. Gabby wasn't looking at him, but she stood quietly beside him, her small hand so trusting in his that he could only smile at her. Together, the two made their way from the conference room.

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**So how is this? Like it? Should I scrap it and start over Let me know! Part of this plot is by popular request (I got a LOT of PM's about giving the boys a child lol) and, well, I'm going to try to follow some of the wonderful suggestions I got from you guys in your reviews. Hopefully this gives you a start toward what you want :/ Next chapter… let's see how Morgan reacts to this…**


	3. Chapter 3

**I had a hard time with this chapter. Still not sure it came out okay. for me, it feels more...filler. The next chapter should pick back up a little for me. Still, here you go. And wow, gotta say, so glad that so many of you seem to like where this is going. And for those that don't, I am sorry.**

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The whole team was waiting for Spencer in the bullpen. All of them were, without shame, watching as he came out of the conference room and made his way down the ramp. Their eyes were locked on him and the child beside him and even the average person would've been able to easily read the shock on those faces. Before Spencer could start to worry too much, Gabby tipped her head up, looking towards his face and drawing his attention. "Are those your friends?" she asked him. He looked down at her and nodded. "Yes, they are."

"Oh." As they reached the bottom of the ramp, Gabby looked at them and then back up at Spencer. "Ma tells me all the time that staring is rude. She has to remind me because sometimes I forget and I stare. I think your friends might have forgotten, because they're staring at us. You should tell them that it's rude so they don't make someone mad."

It took everything Spencer had not to laugh at her words. He bit the inside of his lip and looked up with eyes that sparkled with humor. His friends were smiling at him, even if they still bore signs of surprise on their faces. His smile faded a little as he tried to think of how to do this. Gabby took care of that entirely. "Hi! Are you my Daddy's friends?"

One word in that caught everyone's attention. Eyes snapped up toward Spencer. "Daddy?" Garcia breathed out. "But, but…oh my word."

Gabby was entirely unperturbed by their reactions. Still holding Spencer's hand, she lifted her other one to wave at them. Emily moved a few steps forward, squatting down so that she was in front of the little girl, and she gave her a kind smile that Spencer had seen her use with Henry and Jack both before. "Hello there. I am one of your daddy's friends, sweetie. My name's Emily and it's very, very nice to meet you. What's your name?"

Apparently Gabby had none of Spencer's shyness. She grinned right back at Emily as she answered. "My name is Gabriella Ali Waters and I'm going to be six in two months, three weeks, and four days."

A startled laugh came from Dave. "She sure sounds like you, kiddo."

Spencer wasn't listening to Dave's words too much. He was looking over to Morgan, trying to read the man's expression. Morgan was just staring at him, seemingly unable to say a word. There was a slightly shuttered sort of look to his face that had a knot forming in Spencer's stomach. _Please, let him give me time to explain this. Don't let him be thinking the wrong things. I need to set him straight but I can't do it with Gabriella right here._

Still holding Spencer's hand, Gabby seemed to be easily taking to Emily. "We're going to see a doctor." She told the raven haired woman. "And take a test that's going to tell us if he's my Daddy or not."

"I can get someone down here for that, Reid." Aaron looked over to Spencer, his infamous calm coming back to the forefront. Nothing but support showed on his face. "We'll put as much of a rush on it as possible."

"Thank you, Sir."

Garcia moved forward, having managed to regain her composure. She gave Gabby a wide smile and held a hand out toward her. "While your Daddy waits for the doctor to get here, why don't you, Emily and I go down to my lair? I've got lots of sparkly, shiny girly toys to play with."

The way that Gabby lit up at the idea had Spencer smiling slightly. When she looked to him, he nodded his head, feeling slightly awkward. He wasn't used to being the one that permission was asked of. He was used to being the one that was with the kid asking permission to do something. But as soon as he nodded at her, Gabby let go of his hand and moved to Garcia. In moments, the two women and the little girl were heading down toward Garcia's office with Ashley following, Aaron was heading up to his office to make his phone call, and Dave had somehow managed to slip away from them. That left Spencer and Morgan standing there, watching one another.

After a pause, Morgan gestured for Spencer to follow him and the two took off silently. Neither one said a word as they made their way to Morgan's office. Only when they were inside and the door was shut did they even look at each other once more. Spencer clasped his hands in front of him, unconsciously wringing them together, watching Morgan's face. "I had no idea about her, Derek." He started to explain immediately. "You have to believe that. I had no idea that she existed at all, let alone that Liv would be bringing her here today. I haven't seen Liv in years."

"Who exactly is this Liv?" Morgan asked slowly. "I don't recall you ever mentioning her as a past girlfriend. I don't ever recall you mentioning _any_ past girlfriends."

_Oh, shit. _The tone to Morgan's voice was just a little tight, telling Spencer that the older man was repressing emotion right then. Good or bad, there was no way of telling. Morgan was pretty good at controlling himself until he reached a breaking point. Even more nervous than before, Spencer's words stumbled out of him, tripping over one another in his hurry to get them out. "We never really dated so she's not my girlfriend. I don't even know what her last name is, really I don't. I mean, I know that sounds bad and really, it isn't that great on my part, but in my defense, I wasn't thinking clearly. But that's beside the point. She was just a one night thing, that's all."

"Back when we were undercover, you told me that you'd never even had an orgasm before, Spencer. Until Michael, you said you were a virgin. But you had to have slept with this woman to have a child from it."

Even after being with Morgan for six months, Spencer still couldn't help but blush over the bluntness of the man's speech outside of the bedroom. His cheeks were flaming a little and his stress combine with his embarrassment made his tone sharper than normal. "It doesn't count if you can barely remember it." he snapped. He closed his eyes, trying to control the old feelings and keep himself calm. _This is not his fault, do not yell at him. This is not his fault._ "Robbie, a friend of mine and Ethan's, put Liv up to it. They got me drunk first, Derek. I remember little flashes here and there, but the biggest part of it is all a blank until right when she left." That was one part that his brain naturally just _had to_ remember. "Otherwise, what little memories I do retain are hazy. My memory isn't flawless and it can he ruined by copious amounts of alcohol. I considered myself a virgin because I didn't remember it. And I never, well…you know. I said I'd never done that because, like I said, I don't remember it. How can it count if I don't remember it?"

Quiet settled over the office for a little bit longer. With his eyes still closed, Spencer couldn't see the look on Morgan's face, but he did hear as the man moved forward. Warm, strong hands closed over his, stopping him from wringing his anymore. "Tell me what happened up there, Spencer. Why's she coming out of the woodwork now?"

That took some of Spencer's worry and transformed it back toward anger. In a tight voice, he summed up the conversation between him and Liv, laying it all out to Morgan. When he was done, he opened his eyes again and looked at the man. "I know I should've spoken with you first before I declared I was taking her home, but I couldn't let them leave together, Derek. I couldn't. Even if she ends up not being mine, I can't in good conscience let a child be in a home like that. She didn't care about her at all. She's got Gabby convinced that she's a freak." He practically spat the last word out. "Do you know what it feels like to know that even your own parent considers you a freak?"

The look on Morgan's face got just a little bit softer. He let go of Spencer with one hand, bringing that hand up to stroke the young man's cheek. "My heart bleeds for her too, pretty boy. It does. But this…this is a big thing."

"I know." _It's more than big—it's huge._

As if sensing the nerves and the fear that were coursing inside of Spencer, Morgan shifted his hand to cup his cheek. "You were right to bring her tonight, but I just…this is something we need to talk about. We need to talk about what we'll do if that paternity test says yes. I know you want to help her and I do too. There's just a lot that we need to talk about first, okay? I'm not saying I'm going anywhere, baby boy. But we need to talk about this before we make any kind of decisions. Okay?"

So long as Morgan was sticking around, Spencer knew he'd find a way to handle this. With Morgan beside him, Spencer sometimes felt like he could take anything on. He took a deep, calming breath and nodded. "Okay."

Leaning in, Morgan pressed a soft kiss against Spencer's lips. "For now, let's go get this test done and then we'll take her home and get some food in her. Once she's in bed, we'll talk, baby boy. We'll figure this out."

* * *

Getting the swabs for the testing was easy enough. Once those were taken and sent off to their labs with the promise of a rush on it, Spencer and Morgan gathered up their tiny charge and, taking the spare booster seat that Garcia kept in her car, the trio headed to their car. When Morgan stuck the booster seat in the backseat, Gabby looked at it with surprise. "What's that?"

Her question floored the two men. Spencer looked down at her with surprise. "That's called a booster seat." The answer was reflexive, taking no real thought to it. Most of his mind was wrapped around the fact that the five year old didn't recognize a booster seat.

"What's it for?"

"To raise you to the right height so your seatbelt works more effectively." Again, Spencer's answer was reflexive. He looked to Morgan, who was straightening out of the back of the car with a look of surprise and slight anger on his face. How could the child not know what a booster seat was? Hadn't she ever ridden in one before? Had she seriously just sat on a seat while riding in a car or was it that she'd never been in a car before? Spencer sincerely hoped it was simply that she'd never been in a car. That, he could handle. The other…

Morgan, seeing that Spencer was flustered, took charge of the situation. "Why don't you hand me your bag, princess, and we'll get you in the car and buckled in? I don't know about you but I'm hungry and I'd like to go get something to eat."

That was enough to spur her forward. Gabby quickly gave Morgan her backpack before clambering into the car and right onto the booster seat, allowing herself to be buckled in. A few minutes later they were all buckled in and the car was moving down the road. Spencer felt at a loss as to what to say or what to do. He was well used to Henry, seeing as how he was his Godson. But Henry and Spencer had a kind of easy understanding with one another that amused JJ to no end. They didn't really spend much time talking, except for stories or occasional commentary. The two could sit together almost silently, listening to music or watching a movie or playing with toys while barely saying a word. JJ and Will both joked that they liked to bring Spencer over when Henry was getting too loud and chaotic; it mellowed the little boy right down.

But that was Henry. This…this was a different situation entirely. He had no idea how to interact with Gabby. _You don't even know anything about her but her name. You didn't even know her birthday until she rattled off how many days it is until her birthday. _Thinking of that did manage to make him smile a little bit. In just the little time he'd been around her, he could already see signs of a higher intelligence in the little girl. She spoke better than the average five year old and the fact that she knew exactly how many months, weeks, and days it was to her birthday was another good indicator. That was something he had always been able to do as well. _I wonder if she is gifted. She's showing signs but then again that could just be that she developed faster than other kids. It's not an accurate indicator. I wonder what her development has been like up until now. Has she hit all the appropriate milestones or as she been above or below average for them? Okay, okay, slow down. That is not important right now. I don't even know the basic things about her—knowing her developmental achievements should not be on the top of my priority list._

Just as he was drawing out of his thoughts he heard Morgan's warm voice raise a little to reach the backseat. "You feel like getting something to eat, princess? I bet you're pretty hungry."

"Yes, please!" Piped up a happy little voice.

Seeing that Morgan was pulling them into a McDonalds, one of their quiet indulgences, Spencer turned in his seat to look back at gabby. This part at least he knew how to do. "What would you like? A cheeseburger or chicken nuggets?"

Gabby's eyes grew wide and her little mouth dropped open. "I can _pick_?"

_Oh, child._ "Of course you can pick."

As they pulled into the drive thru, Gabby sat back and contemplated her choice. The seriousness on her face had Spencer smothering a grin; obviously this was a very important decision. After a minute she looked to him again and announced "Chicken nuggets, please."

Well, she was definitely a mannerly little girl. Morgan looked at her through the mirror and smiled. "You got it." He said. Then his eyes turned toward Spencer. "And you?"

"No, thank you. I'm not that hungry." Spencer said with a shake of his head. Right at the moment he wasn't even thinking about food for himself. Too many things were bouncing around in his head for him to really feel like eating. One look at Morgan's face told him that wasn't going to fly, though. Sure enough, when the man rolled his window down, he not only ordered his food and Gabby's happy meal, but the chicken sandwich that Spencer usually ordered here and the large fries they always split with one another.

Spencer raised one eyebrow at his love while the man pulled them forward to pay for their food. "I could have sworn I said I wasn't hungry."

"Huh, did you now? Imagine that." Morgan slanted him an amused look. "I guess I misheard you."

"You mistook 'I'm not that hungry' for 'chicken sandwich'?" Rolling his eyes, Spencer worked not to smile. Playing around with Morgan always eased him a little and brought a smile to his lips. "I think we need to get your hearing checked."

"Well, you know, it's not what it used to be."

There was a devilish light to Spencer's eyes as he said "That does tend to happen with advanced ages."

Just as he'd hoped for, his words threw Morgan for a loop. The man froze with his hand out the window, luckily in reach of the person who was taking the money. Even after the person took it, Morgan left his hand there, turning to gape at Spencer. "Advanced age?" A sound from the clerk drew Morgan's attention back out the window and he hurried to not only take his change, but their food as well. As soon as it was in his lap, he rolled his window up and cast a mock glare at Spencer. "You're asking for trouble there, pretty boy."

From behind them came a soft little giggle. "He just called you pretty." The little girl said with another giggle.

Morgan pulled forward enough to be out of the way before stopping to distribute food. He grabbed the Happy Meal bag, stealing the toy before turning and handing the bag to the little girl. "I called him pretty boy because that's what he is. A pretty boy." And, because he was unable to resist, when Morgan handed her the bag he reached a hand up and tapped it on her nose. "Just like you're a pretty girl."

"Does that mean you two are _boyfriends_?" Gabby asked curiously. She was digging into her bag but her eyes were on them. "Jimmy lives two houses down from me and he has _two_ Daddies _and_ a Ma. Grandma told me sometimes boys and girls fall in love and sometimes boys and boys and girls and girls fall in love too. Did you two fall in love? Does that mean I have two Daddies?"

The silent little girl of a few moments ago was gone. Gabby asked each question with barely a pause between to breathe. Morgan gave Spencer another look as they started back down the road again. "So the rambling, it's apparently a genetic thing?" he teased softly.

Spencer playfully smacked his arm before turning once more to be able to answer Gabby's questions. "Yes, Derek and I fell in love and yes we are boyfriends, Gabriella. I love him very, very much. Now, why don't you eat your dinner?" _And hopefully let go of the question of having two Daddies. We don't even know if you have one, though it's looking more and more like the truth. I can't even really deny it right now, even without the test. She looks so much like me! What am I going to do? What on earth am I going to do with a small child?_ With the car falling silent and his thought racing in circles in his mind, Spencer sat back in his seat and the trio quietly made their way toward home.

* * *

**So, how do you guys think their 'talk' is going to go? You think they're going to end up coming to some easy agreement or do you think they'll differ in opinion on what they should do?**


	4. Chapter 4

When they pulled up at their house, Morgan had already finished his dinner and, surprisingly, so had Gabby. Purposely Spencer left the bag with his food in it in the car as he climbed out. He'd told Morgan he wasn't hungry. Not that he really thought this would work. He knew Morgan would just bring it inside and nag at him until he ended up giving in and eating something, no matter how nauseous he felt right now. However, that didn't mean he simply had to give in, no matter how silly his protests sounded even to him.

Spencer opened the door to the backseat, bending to scoop up Gabby's backpack. He noticed she was just sitting there, her hands folded in her lap, looking toward the house rather nervously. "Are you ready to come inside, Gabriella?" he asked gently. The little girl didn't speak, but she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, her fingers pinching together slightly in an obviously nervous gesture. Looking at her, Spencer felt his heart go out to the girl just a bit. He didn't stop to think, didn't let himself worry that he didn't know what to do around a child. Instead he followed his heart. He shifted and slid into the backseat of the car, setting her bag by his feet and turning his head to look at her. Then he turned once more, looking through the front windshield toward the house. Outside the car he could vaguely see Morgan standing by the driver's door. The man was just leaning against the side of the car, discreetly waiting for them.

After the two had been sitting quietly for a moment or so, Spencer spoke up, his voice low and easy, his eyes still looking toward the house. "You know, I don't do well when it comes to meeting new people or going to new places. Sometimes I get so nervous, it makes this sick feeling in my stomach and it makes my head feel funny. One time I remember I was so scared, I actually had to run to the bathroom to throw up."

He felt her eyes turn to him, but she said nothing yet so Spencer kept talking, his eyes still toward the house. "I know that your Mom told you about who I am and I know that she probably didn't have very nice things to say to me. So I was thinking that maybe, you might be feeling a little scared right now. Maybe your stomach feels sick or your head might feel funny and you're just not sure if you want to get out of this car and go inside that strange house."

"What do you do to make the funny feeling go away?" Gabby asked quietly.

Now Spencer turned, giving her a soft smile. He nodded his head out the window in the direction of Morgan. "Most of the time I hold Derek's hand and I start to feel better. Sometimes just holding his hand is enough. Sometimes it helps to know that we're not in the scary place alone."

Gabby chewed on her lip for a second before darting her gaze toward the window and then back at Spencer. The cheery girl of earlier was gone, replaced with a child who had basically been abandoned by her mother and dumped with two men she didn't know. It was no wonder she was scared. "Do…do you think he'd hold my hand?"

"I do. You don't even have to ask him. Just reach out and take his hand."

She seemed to think about that for a moment. Then he saw her expression firm slightly and she was unhooking her seatbelt to crawl over and climb out the car door on the driver's side. Spencer got out as well, picking her backpack up once more. He'd just shut the door and was watching over the car as Gabby shut her door and stood by Morgan, looking down at her feet for a moment as if unsure of how to do this. A flutter hit Spencer's heart when he saw Gabby, still looking at the ground, reach a slightly unsteady hand out to slip it into Morgan's. The look on Morgan's face turned soft and he closed his fingers around hers. Something in the scene reached inside of Spencer and touched him. He had to blink his eyes a few times as he took off after the two and followed them up toward the house.

* * *

It was surprisingly simple once they got inside to figure out what they needed to do for the moment. After showing a quiet little Gabby where things were in the house—and making a quick bathroom stop for her—they could see the child was very obviously tired, so they took her toward the spare bedroom, the only place they could think of to put her. Spencer took a second to look inside her backpack, looking to see if maybe she had pajamas in there to put on. His heart broke a little and his temper grew when he saw that the only things that were in there were her cassette player she'd been listening to earlier, two changes of clothes that looked just as worn out as the ones she had on, and a small pair of Mary Jane's. Nothing else. That…that _woman_ had sent this child with nothing else to her name?

Fighting back his temper, Spencer looked up at Morgan. "Would you mind grabbing one of my smaller shirts, please?"

"Sure thing, pretty boy." Morgan said softly.

While they waited, Spencer took Gabby's coat, hanging it up in the closet. Then he led Gabby over to the bed and lifted her up to sit on the edge of it, making her smile a little at him. There was such a sleepy look on her face right then, one that he'd seen plenty of times on Henry's face after an exciting day out and about. It was the look of a kid who'd had a busy day and was hitting their crash point. Because he knew how Henry could get when like that, Spencer didn't speak while he slipped Gabby's shoes off and set them on the floor beside the bed.

When Morgan came back in and gave him the shirt, Spencer fought off his awkwardness and set the shirt down on the bed before resting down on one knee so that he could better look at her. "Let's get you changed and then you can lie down and sleep, okay Gabriella?"

"Uh huh." The little girl nodded sleepily.

Spencer started to help her out of her clothes, listening to Morgan chuckle behind him. "She's practically asleep already. Geeze, reminds me a little of someone I know…"

"Be quiet." Spencer murmured. He knew exactly what Morgan was referring to. How many times had the man teased him that he could go from alert to almost comatose in a split second? It wasn't his fault that, when his brain decided it was time to sleep it simply went into sleep mode. There was another chuckle behind him and Spencer's cheeks grew warm. He ignored Morgan and finished getting Gabby into Spencer's shirt, which was quite large on her but worked perfect as a nightdress. Then Spencer straightened up and gathered her up and Morgan pulled the blankets back so they could lay her down and tuck her in. Morgan moved over and shut the light off and Spencer noticed the room was lit with a faint glow; a nightlight had been plugged into the wall. Gabby sighed and snuggled down into the blankets, curling up on her side, and Spencer couldn't resist smoothing her hair back from her face. "Goodnight, Gabriella. Sweet dreams."

"Night, Daddy. Night, Derek." She mumbled.

Morgan stepped up, tucking her in a little more. "Night, pretty girl."

The two men headed out, closing the door not quite all the way. Then they looked at one another for a moment before turning together and heading down to the kitchen. It was time for that conversation that Morgan had mentioned, they both knew it, and a conversation like that was best done over coffee. There was no telling how long it was going to take and they both had a feeling they'd need the strong brew. Preparing the coffee was a familiar routine to them that worked as a nice cushion, allowing them some quiet time to gather their thoughts. While the coffee brewed and Spencer gathered cups, Morgan quickly jogged next door to pick up Clooney from the neighbor's house. By the time the two were back, Spencer had just set two prepared cups of coffee on the table.

The dog raced straight toward Spencer, bouncing around his feet excitedly, letting out a bark to show how happy he was to see them. Spencer quickly reached out to pet his head, shushing him before he could wake up Gabby. "Yes, yes, I'm happy to see you too." He murmured to Clooney. Taking a seat at the table, Spencer let Clooney rest his head in his lap, scratching behind the dog's ears and putting him in bliss. Morgan snickered as he took his own seat, reaching out for his cup.

The kitchen stayed quiet for a little longer, neither of them quite sure how to start this. There were so many things they needed to cover and so much going on, it was hard to figure out what to say first.

It wasn't surprising that Spencer broke the silence first. His nerves got the better of him and he couldn't take the quiet anymore. "No matter what happens, no matter whether she stays with us or ends up somewhere else, I am not letting her go home to Liv." He told Morgan firmly. On this he would not budge. No matter what it took, he would make sure that Gabby never went home with Liv again. Too many things screamed out at him that this sweet little girl was definitely not treated right in that home.

"I agree." Morgan said simply. His gaze lifted and locked on to Spencer. "That part isn't what we need to figure out, baby boy. That part's simple. What we need to figure out is what we're going to do."

Spencer sighed, his free hand curling around his cup. "I don't know what to do, Derek. But if the paternity test comes back positive, what else can I do? I can't simply abandon a child that is mine. I can't just walk away from her."

"And what about work? Are you going to quit the Bureau to stay home and raise her? Because our job takes us away from home a lot."

"I know it does." Chewing on his lip, Spencer looked down at Clooney. "Hotch makes it work. JJ made it work. I'm sure we could come up with some kind of solution."

Morgan's voice turned soft and gentle. "And we've seen how hard it is, not just on them but on their kids, too. Is that the kind of life you want for her? Is it fair to do that to her?"

Emotion clogged Spencer's throat for a minute. "You sound like you've already decided what you want to do." He couldn't keep the slight accusation out of his voice.

"Spencer." With a sigh, Morgan reached over, closing his hand over Spencer's wrist. He tugged a little until the younger man let go of his cup so that their fingers could lace together. At the insistent tug, Spencer made himself look up, letting their eyes lock. Only then did Morgan speak again. "Baby, I'm not saying we should or shouldn't take her. I'm trying to make sure that we look at this from all angles. This isn't just about what we want. This is about what's best for her. We have to think of what she needs and do what's in her best interest, even if that's not us. Our jobs are dangerous. Look what happened to Hotch. Look at Foyet. We have to think about the fact that threats like those are a very serious possibility. I know what it's like to be a kid and to have to lose a parent to the monsters in the world. This isn't a decision we can make lightly and I want to make sure that we look at it from all angles."

"I know there are risks in keeping her. But there are risks in letting her go somewhere else, too. We've seen what life can be like for kids in foster homes. I know the statistics that come with it. Horrible things could happen to her in a foster home until she gets adopted." And the possibility of that made Spencer's stomach churn.

"Not every foster home or adoptive family is bad, Spencer."

He knew that. But didn't Morgan understand that these circumstances were different? "Maybe not, but she's not the average child, Derek. She's going to take extra care to keep up with her. You listened to her talk. Either she's developmentally ahead of her peers, or she's showing signs of a higher intelligence than the average five year old. Her speech patterns aren't that of a five year old female child. What if she is mine and she's inherited my intelligence? Without the right kind of support, life can become miserable for a child like that. Her mother already has her thinking she's a freak."

The hand around Spencer's tightened and Spencer saw a flash of sadness go through Morgan's eyes. "Aw, baby boy." The older man bent his head at the same time as lifting Spencer's hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it. When he set their hands down again, his look had softened and love was bright there. "Let's look at this another way. You're always good at analyzing things and studying them from all angles. I know your brain works better that's way. So let's study this from both sides. We know what'll happen if the test says she's not yours. So, say it comes out positive. Let's plan what we'd do if we decide to keep her and what we'd do if we decide not to. We'll look at both options and build the best plan for each. Maybe by the time we're done, we'll have a better idea on what we feel is right for us to do. Sound good to you?"

That sounded surprisingly…perfect. It also sounded more like something Spencer would suggest than Morgan. Quirking an eyebrow, Spencer looked at his partner with mock suspicion. "Who are you and what have you done with my Derek?" he teased him.

As he'd hoped, that brought on that Morgan grin that he loved so much. "Shut up, you shit." Morgan said with a chuckle.

"I guess we've been together long enough that I'm starting to rub off on you." Spencer mused.

A twinkle entered Morgan's eyes. "Sounds promising."

It took a second for Spencer to realize what he meant and then he was jerking his hand free from Morgan's to smack at the older man's hands. "Pervert!" Still, the word was said with a chuckle. Spencer picked up his mug, settling back into his seat with a chuckle, a little more relaxed than he'd been moments ago. Leave it to Morgan to do that for him. "Before this conversation degenerates any further, let's get back to the topic at hand." He said, still smiling. Oh, how he loved this man. That love warmed him inside, chasing away some of his worry and allowing him to think a little more normally. Okay, it was time to start making plans. "Your idea definitely has merit to it. Why don't we plan first for if it said yes and we decided not to keep her? What would we do?"

* * *

**Sorry, sorry, this took me so long! Holidays and such like that and I've been spending time with my husband and son and then some things cropped up and I'm trying to get some writing in at night lol. I'll try to update every couple days this week, at least until things settle down. Then I'll be back to daily updating ;) Hope you guys enjoyed this chap some and I'm glad most of you are liking the story so far!**


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